Dream No More
by Sachie Yoritomo
Summary: Hiei and Botan end up in a different reality during the middle of a war. While hoping to find a way out, Botan gets captured and it's up to Hiei to save the day. In revision.
1. Chapter 1

_It was all just a dream. If she just closed her eyes, it would all go away… he would go away, just disappear… _

_Firmly believing that, she shut her eyes tightly and repeated her logic softly to herself, "Just a dream… just a nightmare, it will all disappear…" but a faint, cold, deep voice shook her._

"_Stupid ferry woman…"_

_Her eyes snapped open, and there he was, red orbs glaring viciously down at her. She gasped softly as the realization hit her._

_Dream no more. This was reality_

* * *

Dream No More

Chapter One

* * *

Another mission, more demons to slay, more arguments, and more of crabby Hiei; what more could a ferry girl want out of her vacation? Botan had been promised a weeklong beach getaway, with warm sun, hot pool boys and bottomless booze; so as far as she was concerned, there was a LOT more she could want out of this vacation day. And yet here she was, in the middle of Enma-knows-where, waiting for the team to finish up yet another mission before she could leave. She was going to kill Koenma when they got back; he would have hell to pay for calling her off her long-awaited break. But until then, she decided, she would just have to grin and bear it.

"Um, Botan? I think you can let us off your oar so we can fight now," Yusuke said, jerking her back to reality. She then realized that she had kept them hovering for no fewer than five minutes while she fumed about the injustice of the situation. She landed, and the four young men all clamored off. She made what she hoped was her cutest cat face at them by way of an apology before she was up in the air again.

" I'm just going to sit here and watch, okay?" she called after the four retreating figures of the Reikai Tantei.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Just don't leave without us okay?" Yusuke called back at her.

"Come on Urameshi, I'm gonna kick so much tail!" shouted Kuwabara.

Hiei scoffed at this remark, and Kazuma took it upon himself to start insulting Hiei.

"Here we go again…" Kurama sighed.

Shortly after they disappeared, Botan was able to see bursts of energy, indicating that the fight had started. As she floated on her oar, she contemplated what this mission was about, and found that she couldn't remember why Koenma had even sent them into the field or more importantly why he had postponed her vacation. Just as she was about to get her out communicator and ask Koenma, she heard someone cry, "Botan! Look out!"

She spun around just in time to see a rather unfriendly looking demon appear behind her, sporting a malicious grin. In a frantic attempt to do something, she whipped around her oar to smack it in the head. Unhappily, her oar broke apart on impact, which left her to drop from her perch forty feet in the air toward the very hard ground.

As she dropped, Botan heard the old saying in her head: "It's not the fall that kills you. It's the sudden stop at the end." She closed her eyes and waited for the bone-shattering impact that awaited her, but it never came. Instead, she found herself inexplicably in the arms of a familiar fire demon, and firmly on the ground.. "Thanks," she breathed, still shocked.

He glared at her in reply, and then dropped her nonchalantly to the ground and walked away to rejoin the fight.

She sat up and rubbed her rear as Kurama disposed of her attack. "I guess I really shouldn't have been expecting anything more from Hiei," she grumbled, glaring at him.

The team made quick work of what was left of the opposing force, and turned to Botan. "Okay we're done, let's go now," said Kuwabara impatiently.

"Well in case you didn't notice, my oar got smashed back there! I have to call Koenma for a portal now. It's not like I carry extras!"

"And if you had been paying more attention you foolish woman, you would still have your precious rowing device, and I wouldn't have had to save you," Hiei said grumpily.

"Don't you blame this on me! I shouldn't have to worry about it! You four ought to take care of these things so I don't need to! And _furthermore_," she exclaimed emphatically, "I'm _supposed to be on vacation right now_."

"If you're on vacation, you shouldn't take orders from that little brat," he retorted.

"Don't bring your logic into this!" she shouted back.

As the fight continued, the air around them seemed to blur and grow distorted. Kuwabara was the first to notice, but Kurama and Yusuke ignored him when he tried to point it out. By the time Hiei and Botan saw what was happening, it was too late, and they disappeared.

Hiei's energy vanished, and the argument stopped abruptly, causing their three companions to turn around and stare at the now empty space Hiei and Botan had been standing in. Kuwabara was the one who voiced the question they all had on their minds, "Uh, guys? Where'd they go?"

The next thing Hiei and Botan knew they were piled in a very suggestive, ungraceful heap in entirely new surroundings.

Winded from the fall, and from Hiei's fall on top of her, it took her a moment to choke out a raspy "Where are we?"

Hiei flitted off of her and began to dust himself off several feet away. "And how do you expect me to know, you foolish woman?"

She growled a little at his rudeness, but decided to leave it alone for the time being. "I wonder how we got here…" she mused, more to herself than to him. Suddenly, she remembered her communicator in the pocket of the jeans she had been wearing, took it out, and tried to send an SOS to Koenma, but found that it was fried. "Oh great, you're broken," she said grumpily to the device. "Now we're REALLY lost."

Hiei made another rude comment about her intelligence, which she one again chose to ignore as she observed her surroundings. They were in a mountain forest, thick with tall old pine tress. There was a chill in the air, and the few small deciduous trees that there were around them were almost completely devoid of leaves, indicating that fall was nearly over. She shivered a little when the wind picked up, and was glad she hadn't dressed for the beach.

Hiei watched Botan for a moment, and, becoming bored, started to walk off.

She watched him go for a few seconds before her mind registered what was happening. "Hey! Don't leave me here," she cried and she began to run after him.

Unhappily for Botan, Hiei was not in the mood for being followed and soon she had lost sight of him completely. A half an hour had passed, and Botan was effectively exhausted from chasing after Hiei the entire time. She finally had given up on the idea of sticking together and sat down on a log, her breath coming in shallow pants.

The wind began to pick up, and storm clouds began to roll in over the trees. Within 15 minutes, large white snowflakes began to flutter down from the sky. Botan sighed to herself as she contemplated her situation. She was cold, had no supplies or anywhere to go for shelter, no way of communicating with anyone, and she was alone. Additionally, she was now completely convinced that she wasn't going to be able to take that beach vacation after all. She huffed in frustration. While she was not really the outdoorsy type, a trip to a little cabin in the woods all alone with a handsome and athletic young man would normally seem rustic and romantic to her. The romance was lost, however, when there was no cabin and she was stranded with Hiei. She certainly acknowledged that he was good looking, but he certainly wasn't the type that would enjoy cuddling to keep warm.

She huffed and said, "Well, Hiei, I hope you freeze to death, wherever you are."

* * *

Three figures sat watching these events play out on a large screen in a dark room. One was an older woman, seated on an ornate throne. On her one side was a young man in a military uniform, and on the other was a small, younger woman. "Milady, are you sure they are the pair we have been looking for?" asked the younger lady as she glanced at the screen they had been watching. "They do not seem to get along at all. How can they be the ones?"

"Patience my child. You will see soon enough," the queen responded.

"Captain?" she continued, getting a salute from a young man too her right. "Bring them here."

"Yes ma'am."


	2. Chapter 2

When she had finally woken up the next morning, the snow had stopped falling. The sound of a nearby stream reached her ears and she smiled contentedly. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and snuggled deeper into her nice soft pillow, deciding that she was on vacation and there was no need to hurry out of bed. Today would be a good day. She would sleep in, go shopping, and maybe flirt with one of the fabled pool boys…

"Hn. Are you up yet?" asked her pillow.

Her eyes snapped open as the events of the previous day flooded back to her. She saw Hiei glaring down menacingly at her, and Botan then realized that her blanket had been his cloak and her pillow his leg.

She sat up abruptly, blushing several deep, interesting shades of red and pink. Handing him back his cloak, she muttered a weak and discombobulated apology.

He rose, took the garment out of her hands, and put it back on. "Get up. We're leaving."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Hiei glared at her, and wondered if she would ever stop asking him questions. "To the village," he replied between clenched teeth.

She laughed nervously as she stood up and followed his retreating form into the snow-covered forest. She decided that it was probably in her best interests not to mention that she had no idea there was a village anywhere around, or how she'd ended up asleep in his lap. The pair walked in silence for several tense moments, and they descended from the dense mountain forest down to a dry grassy plain. Perhaps a mile or so distant to them was a small village in front of a foreboding stone castle. In the distance, another range or snow-topped mountains

Hiei led the way toward the distant village and Botan began to hum a favorite tune. He tolerated the noise for a few cycles, until the melody was firmly ingrained in is mind. He continued to listen and walk, his aggravation becoming more evident as her voice wore away at his patience. He tried to reason with himself- if he truly was stuck with her, as he was certain he was, than it would be best to learn how to tolerate her incessant cheerful antics.

Though he would never admit it, she _was_ an asset to their team. She served for comedic relief, and could cheer anybody up with a 100-watt smile. For someone who had been ferrying spirits and dealing solely with death on a day-to-day basis for a millennia or two, that was seriously saying something.

"Hiei! Come on, Hiei, we're almost there!" she cried as she waved her hand frantically above her head, beckoning him forward toward the gatehouse. When he didn't move, she stomped up to him and grabbed his wrist. "Come on, mister serious, I thought you wanted to go this village!" she said giggling as she dragged him in the direction of the small town. He growled, irritated at her, but followed her.

Botan knocked at the gatehouse door to ask permission to enter the town. Hiei stood stoically behind her, glaring at the cold grey stone that the building was made of.

A stumpy elderly woman came to the door shortly afterward. "What is it you…" she began and then gasped at the pair. Eyes widened, she grabbed them and dragged them inside the small cottage. She barked something in a different language and an elderly man hobbled out of the back of the house, gaped at them, and began speaking hurriedly to his wife in their language.

After a short exchange, the woman gestured to a table. "Sit down dearies. I'll make some tea," she said in heavy Irish accent, hobbling over to a stove.

"So where is you from?" slurred her husband.

"Oh, we're from… well… we're not from around here," Botan said.

"Isn't that nice?" he said absently- he'd clearly had far too much to drink.

His wife came up behind him and set the tea on the table, hitting him with the walking stick she used, effectively knocking him out. "If you're going to drink so much, don't be seen in public, you disgrace! Sorry loves, he meant where did you come from to get here? This place is much removed and we haven't seen any outsiders since before the war started. We've been cut off since then, you see," she said.

"A war? Who with?" asked Botan, who had seen no other signs of civilization anywhere near the village.

"The dragon tamers, dearie! My, you really haven't a clue about much, do you?" chuckled the woman.

"Like I said," Botan explained, "We really aren't from around here. We just kind of ended up in the forest," she continued, gesturing to the closer of the two mountain ranges.

"The forest?" exclaimed the woman, "Well, that really is bad. I suggest that you two be careful," she said, rising and leading Hiei and Botan out of the house, the tea left forgotten on the table.

"That forest is a mythical place," she said gesturing to it with her walking stick a few moments later. "Most people haven't dared enter it in over twenty years. Those that have haven't returned. A long time ago, when I was but a child, an oracle lived in that forest. She predicted that during a lifetime of turmoil, the land would be devastated by war, and fear would reign.

"Then, when times were darkest, a pair would emerge from the forest to save us all- a dragon master and his fair companion; a man and woman who would look just like the two of you. Supposedly, they will bring peace to this place.

"Most people have forgotten about the old prophecy," the woman said as she continued to lead them around the wall. Rounding a corner, the castle that governed the village could be seen. She looked at it wearily and said, "However, some have not," she paused for a long moment, and she seemed to be thinking.

"Listen closely. The ruler of that castle is the one who started the war. She is currently losing the battle, and will do anything to keep it going until she wins. That may mean killing you, even if you aren't the ones the prophecy spoke of.

"I wish I could be of more help to you, but if we are caught…" she shuddered, "You must hide. The forest is the safest place for you now- only fools would look for you there," she told them, walking back to the cottage. She went inside and came back out with her arms full of supplies.

"Best of luck; farewell," The woman said, handing the supplies to Botan and going back inside.

It was now dark outside, and Botan looked at Hiei, her arms full of the things the woman had given her. "Well, I guess we go back to the forest."

"Hn," he said in agreement, and started off toward the forest, Botan at his heels.

When they reached the place that their journey had started on that day, Botan set the goods down and immediately lay down to sleep. Hiei stared at her for a moment before flitting into a tree fifteen feet away and doing the same.

* * *

"Milady," said the captain's voice from the screen, "We have them surrounded. What are your orders?"

The queen smirked. "Wait there and observe them until you receive further instructions."

"In the Forest? Ma'am, that is very dangerous… I have our best men, and it would be catastrophic if we were to loose them."

"I have the utmost confidence in your abilities Captain," said the queen, "But if you feel that you must withdraw do it now. However, if you were to do so, I'm afraid that I may have to," she paused for dramatic effect, "relieve you of your commanding responsibilities."

"As you wish, your Majesty."

* * *

I did some heavy revisions on this chapter, and I think it's much better now that I cut about 300 words. It's a lot more grown up now.


	3. Chapter 3

Just for those that didn't know, I do a review of the last chap at the beginning, in italics, so you don't have to go read the last chapter to know what's going on. In this chapter, I'll be introducing dreams, which are italicized in single quotes, so dream _'text'_.

Review when you're done!

_

* * *

"Milady," said the captain's voice from the screen, "We have them surrounded. What are your orders?"_

_The queen smirked. "Wait there and observe them until you receive further instructions."_

_"In the Forest? Ma'am, that is very dangerous… I have our best men, and it would be catastrophic if we were to loose them."_

_"I have the utmost confidence in your abilities Captain," said the queen, "But if you feel that you must withdraw do it now. However, if you were to do so, I'm afraid that I may have to," she paused for dramatic effect, "relieve you of your commanding responsibilities."_

_"As you wish, your Majesty."_

* * *

Dream No More  
Chapter Three  
Sachie Jaganashi

* * *

_'She was running… the wind rushing against her face told her that…_

_But what was she running from? She reached a familiar part of the forest and stopped. It was a willow in the center of the clearing. He sat there beneath the branches and looked calmly at her tired form with only slight interest. She let out a held breath she was holding for reasons she didn't know._

_Suddenly, his face hardened and he ran past her, shouting something that she didn't quite catch. She turned, and saw him taking out his katana, and then charging at a multitude of armed enemies, the people who had chased her; flinging himself into battle, seemingly outnumbered hopelessly._

_"Run!" she heard him shout again. She hoped he was all right, and then sprinted away, to hide in the brush not far away. From her vantage point she could only see the bottom fourth of the battle. She heard an angry cry and then triumphant shouts, and the feet she had been watching disappeared. _

_Orders were shouted in a language she didn't know as she listened to them move away. After a few tense moments, she got up and returned to the battle ground, finding it empty. The nearby stream gurgled in displeasure, and the wind tore angrily at the top branches of the trees. _

_The clearing was empty. He was gone. She felt hot tears sting at her eyes and roll down her cheeks as she fell to her knees and gripped her clothes tightly in anguish. Gone. She choked out his name over and over, her voice growing louder with each turn, until she was shouting._

_"Hiei!" she cried, sobbing over and over. _

_Grief overcame her as she began to dream up insane things that could have happened to him. Was he dead? Had he been captured? Was he being tortured? She could only cry as darkness came to her senses._

_She lay down in misery and stared up at the angry sky. After a moment, a maliciously grinning _thing_ was standing above her with greedy, wide eyes. _

_Her pupils shrank in fear. "Hiei!" she screamed as blackness came with the next instant.'_

* * *

"HIEI!" a now awake Botan screamed as she bolted upright. Sweat clung to her weak, shaking body and she knew that she had been crying. She took several deep, ragged breaths in attempt to calm down. It was still night, and the full moon was shining down through the branches, casting eerie shadows on the forest floor

She suddenly sensed a presence next to her and turned to see Hiei looking down at her with a look of aggravated concern. "Baka ferry onna?"

"I'm okay," she gasped out, still starved for air. She held his gaze for a moment, and then looked down, slightly embarrassed. "I'm never listening to you again, you hear me?" she said feebly, pulling her knees to her chest, resting her head on them, turned away from his piercing stare.

He was confused, but nodded and said nothing, watching her shiver in the frigid night air. After a few moments she lay back down, and tried to go back to sleep, shivering again. Hiei shook his head at her pathetic shape and took off his cloak. He sat down next to her, placed her head on his lap and wrapped his cloak around her frail body.

Shocked, she looked up at him, fearfully at first, then flashed an appreciative smile, closed her eyes, snuggled into him and fell asleep.

He sighed to himself, and closed his eyes.

* * *

Botan woke up to the wonderfully pleasant warmth of a blanket wrapped around her and a sweet, heavy scent that penetrated her nostrils and lingered about her; the cause of which was unidentified. As her sleepy mind began to better grasp her surroundings, she felt something heavy and comforting draped across her shoulders.

She opened her eyes slowly, squinting against the intense morning light. Above her, she saw leaved branches and strangely enough, Hiei. His red eyes were hidden in sleep, his chest rising and falling evenly with each breath he took. Botan watched his peaceful, carefree face for several quiet moments, observing how he twitched every so often, as if he felt her eyes on him.

Suddenly, his crimson orbs snapped open and found her pink ones instantaneously, glaring down viciously at her. She immediately averted her gaze, blushing hotly. Botan felt his leg tense beneath her and made to rise, but he held her down.

"Eh? Hiei…" she started, looking at him again. His expression had hardened and his ruby eyes were sweeping their surroundings with a cold, calculating glare.

"We're being watched," he said shortly, in a quiet yet serious tone. Botan froze at his words. She then breathed slowly and evenly, in an attempt to calm down.

"What do we do now?" she asked, lowering her voice as well.

Hiei shifted so that his sword was easy to draw and closed his eyes. "Hn."

* * *

"Ma'am, I believe we have been discovered. What would you have us do?" the captain asked.

"Withdraw to a concealed location and scatter your scouts throughout the forest.

"The girl will be easier to capture, but you must wait until she is alone. It would be foolhardy to attack her in the presence of her companion. Once we have her in our clutches, he will walk into our trap."

"Yes, Majesty," he replied curtly.

"And Captain?" she said.

"Yes?"

"Practice the utmost caution around the male until we know the full extent of his strength. We cannot afford casualties."

"Of course."

* * *

Hiei's eyes reopened after he felt their observers leave. He glanced down to where the ferry onna lay. She was staring upward, innocent pink eyes fogged by boredom or reverie; he couldn't tell which.

He nudged her back to the land of the functioning, deciding that if they were going to be stuck in this forest, they might as well learn to live in it. "Onna," he said blankly, removing his arm from her shoulders.

"What?" she asked, sitting up and turning to face him.

Hn," he replied unwrapping his cloak from her body and putting it on his shoulders. He looked at her for a moment, then rose and began to walk away. Botan understood what he was telling her silently and followed him into the dense brush.

He was walking quickly, and she had to practically run to keep up with him, and even though she was in very good physical condition, she couldn't run forever.

"Hiei," she panted after a few moments, "could you… slow… down…?"

He paused and glanced at her quizzically. With a smirk, he lifted his left brow just so. "Too fast, baka onna?"

"Yes, and I would appreciate it greatly if you slowed down!" she snapped.

"Hn. No," he said and began walking again.

"Well excuse me, but I seem to lack your incredible inhuman speed! It's not like it would kill you to do it," she said, jogging again to keep up.

"Oh, but it would," came his sarcastic reply.

"Of _course_ it would, because you clearly don't have an ounce of decency in you! I don't know why Koenma hasn't locked you in a Reikai…"

"Shut up, your temper is unbecoming and your insults pathetic," he said, slowing his pace considerably so that she would be able to keep up. Her eyes widened at the gesture and she let a quiet "Oh."

Almost immediately afterward, the tropical forest opened to reveal a large, magnificent waterfall that poured water into a serene and calm river at the bottom of a rock-walled canyon, nearly 200 feet below them, mist rising up to greet the pair.

A fallen tree made a bridge across the gorge, and Hiei, without missing a beat, began to cross it. Botan, after admiring the scenery, began to follow him. He had no difficulty in jumping the ten feet of ancient tree stump to walk along the trunk, but she lagged behind, having to climb up the rotten side of the tree. Then she began to walk uncertainly along, doing her best to keep her eyes focused on the retreating fire youkai in front of her and not the river far below her, amused.

Suddenly, a piece of the tree gave beneath her and she was tumbling down to the river. Luckily, this part of the river was deep and had few rocks, so it broke her fall, with her injuries consisting of a bit of choking and some soreness from the impact. Hiei had heard her hit the water, and was currently smirking down at her.

A predicament was presented to him. He couldn't very well _leave_ her; Koenma would have him in prison before he could hn. Therefore, he needed to get her from down there to up here. But how? He wasn't exactly the greatest swimmer, being a fire demon, and even then there was a towering sheer rock cliff to scale, a difficult enough task on its own, without having to pick up her slack.

Clearly, jumping down into the river with her was not the greatest idea. So what was he to do?

As if Botan had read his thoughts, she shouted, "Hiei! I'll swim downriver and see if I can't find somewhere to get out! I'll see you there!"

He blinked, nodded and began to follow her downstream.

* * *

Three exhausting miles later, Hiei was finally able to pull her from the frigid water that flowed in the river.

"Baka onna, I am tired of saving you. Do exercise some caution," he snapped at her.

"Sorry," she replied, completely forgetting that the circumstances in which she had fallen were beyond her control, accepting the warm cloak he offered her.

Hiei saw that she was soaked through and through, her pale azure hair plastered to her shivering body, her lips blue from the cold. He knew that she'd get hypothermia if she didn't get warm soon, and he wasn't about to sit and warm her up himself.

His mind made up, he instructed her to sit down and wait for him, and he walked into the forest.

* * *

The fading sunlight that covered her body like a blanket and was attracted by the black fabric of Hiei's cloak warmed her considerably, and Botan enjoyed the silence that greeted her ears. She closed her eyes and sighed peacefully.

Three uneventful moments passed before she heard twigs snapping, heavy footfall and whispered voices coming from the forest that surrounded her. Beginning to feel uneasy, she waived it as dementia caused by her little escapade. Until…

Suddenly, a ring of dragons had been formed around her and no fewer than fifty men were rushing up to her, armed to the teeth. She was quickly on her feet, and tried to summon her oar in an attempt to run away, her efforts hindered because it was still in many very small pieces.

Not.

Good.

She tried to scream for Hiei's help, but a hand was clasped over her mouth. A powerful arm encircled her waist and she squirmed against its firm hold. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way," a deep tenor voice drawled next to her ear, "I don't want to hurt you, so you should just come quietly with us to meet our master. She doesn't mean you any harm either, pretty one. How about it?"

Botan struggled more against his hold in response. He sighed. "Fine, if that is how you want it…" he said as he quickly struck her with the side of his hand just below her hairline on the back of her neck, stunning her. He then picked her up bridal style and settled her on the largest of the dragons, a ferocious red male with intense sapphire eyes.

Mounting the beast, he ordered the rest of the group. "Get out of here. Don't let her companion find you! Move! No one is to remain in the forest! Flying group, with me! Infantry, with Sarasota! Specials unit, we were never here! Go, go, go!" Then, he ordered the dragon into flight, and they were quickly soaring high above the trees.

Helplessly, Botan sent out an urgent telepathic SOS (or so she hoped…). In the distance, she could see the castle silhouetted against the sunset.

"Milady," said the man whose dragon she rode, "We have her."

"Excellently done, Captain. Bring her to me."

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

When they had landed, night had fallen, and the full moon was burning through the windows of the castle. The 'Captain' was leading her down a staircase where she was sure she would meet the queen responsible for her capture. They quickly reached a door, which he opened and then ushered her inside.

"Hello darling. Welcome, welcome, please sit down," said the raspy voice of the queen. A chair was placed beside her and Botan did as she was asked. "Now, I'm afraid that I cannot tell you why you are here, but that will be made clear soon enough. We need to know about your friend, that you were in the forest with today. What is he like? What are his strengths, his special powers, his weaknesses? Come dear heart, you can tell me…"

In all her years as ferrygirl, assistant and close friend of Koenma, she had been afforded much valuable information, and had learned to be a good liar when she needed to be. "I'm afraid I can't help you."

The queen's composure snagged, but she recovered quickly. "A pity. Captain, show her to her quarters."

He nodded, strode over to Botan, and offered her his elbow. She accepted, and he escorted her out of the room and through the winding passages of the castle. Silent moments passed with increasing tension before he finally spoke.

"You know, she will get the information she wants out of you. It would be easier to just tell her."

"I meant what I said. I really don't know anything," Botan lied.

"She'll lock you in that room for as long as it takes. Please, be reasonable," he pleaded.

"_You_ seem awfully concerned. May I ask why?"

"I've been hunting you for over a week now. I want no harm to come of you."

Botan stiffened at his use of words. Did he think her some kind of beast, to pursue and fell? And if he had been "hunting" her, how did his wish of her safety make sense anyway?

"I'm sorry. I do not mean to upset you. I just want to help… to be a friend," he offered.

"Thank you. You're the only one I've got right now," she said.

He chuckled. "Just don't spread it around. Wait, what about that man… Hiei?"

"He's… well, it's… hard to explain," she said, failing to put into words the relationship she shared with Hiei. "Friend is a bit of a stretch," she finally settled on.

He stopped them at a door. "I see. Behind this door is a tower; it is now your home. This is also where I leave you," he said quietly, taking her slender hand in his and kissing her knuckles gingerly, his eyes -a beautiful water blue- never leaving hers.

He dropped her hand gracefully, and began to walk away from her.

"I'm afraid I don't know your name," she called, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Oh, call me Kurogame."

"Thank you," she said, opening the door, and ascending the stairs behind it. She passed many doors, but when she reached the top, a large sleeping chamber awaited her, complete with four poster bed, balcony, wardrobe, dressing table and a full length mirror. It called to her, and Botan threw herself onto the bed and was instantly asleep.

_

* * *

'"Aishiteru," he whispered, his calloused hand falling away from her face as his spirit parted with his body._

_"No, no…" she moaned in agony, " Don't leave me…" Botan felt herself being pulled away from his fallen form, his face blurred by the tears that stung at her eyes. _

_"NO!"' _

_Then, all was dark._

* * *

That's a wrap, people! I'll love you for reviewing! Keep it up, and thanks for those that reviewed last time!

See, there's a reason that it's called Dream No More! And you don't know who 'He' is. You may think you do, but you don't! (Cackles) You'll see, you'll see. A dozen cookies go to whoever figures it out! Please e-mail me your votes, we won't want the entire world knowing, would we? Here's your one hint: it is not Hiei.

Have fun!


	4. Chapter 4

I would like to dedicate this story to my three good friends who shall forever be known as Potter, Teddypookins, and Schnookums, for they are the motivation and often inspiration for this story. Love to all of you, boys!

Also, a note of extreme thanks to my betas. –Muah!-

----------

Dream No More

Chapter Four

Sachie Jaganashi

----------

Marvelous. Simply marvelous.

He had gone off to gather wood so that he could make her a fire _out of the goodness of his heart_ to come back to an empty clearing that bore obvious signs of attack. That meant that _his_ –beg pardon- _the_ baka ferry onna had been kidnapped. He had been gone for five minutes, tops. Utterly brilliant.

Dammit.

_That_ meant that he –being the only living being present and able to do so- would have to track her down, _and _find her, _and_ rescue her, _and_ fight to keep them both alive,_ and_ would probably end up fulfilling that stupid prophecy whilst doing so. It sounded like some horrible romance story.

Was someone plotting against him? Moreover, how did he know what a romance novel was like? And did he _actually_ intend to do the aforementioned deeds?

Dammit _all_ to Limbo. For a thousand, million years, damn it to Limbo.

Or not. He didn't _have_ to do anything. Hiei sat down and contemplated that and his other options.

The longer he lingered and pondered the thought of leaving her "To the wolves," per say, the more pronounced the tug at the bottom of his heart became. The more noticeable the feeling became, the more sore it felt.

Fine. So he wouldn't do that.

Someone really _was_ plotting against him.

On to plan 'B'… Find her. Get her. Leave. Easy right?

Wrong.

He had to consider that finding her would actually require an honest effort, what having to learn a language, spy on a castle, fight in a war, etc; getting her would require him to storm said castle single-handedly, finding her in that castle, and convincing her to actually leave with him –they still weren't on great terms. And finally, he was completely at a loss for how to get them out of this little hellhole of a world and back to normality.

He still didn't know how they got there in the first place. Ah well. Where was the rush? She wasn't exactly going anywhere, and now that she wasn't his problem (at least for a little while), shouldn't he be able to enjoy the peace, quiet and solitude? For at least a week or so, that was.

Hiei smirked. Vacation, was his.

----------

Botan sighed contentedly as she unwillingly woke from her sleep. A familiar scent lingered about her, one that she had recently learned belonged to a certain demon… Alas, another boring day filled with boredom and Hiei. She was charmed by the idea.

Really. Bode well for her that did not.

Begrudgingly, she shifted from her comfortable position on the forest floor and -wait a minute. Wait just a darn minute. Comfortable on the forest floor… _right_! She opened her eyes and a large, grandeur chamber greeted her. Oh… of course! How could she have forgotten?

Her brow furrowed. Then why could she smell him? She rose from the large four-poster and began to walk about the room in search for the cause. During her wanderings, she came upon a mirror, and when she looked at it she found her culprit; his cloak that was still wrapped about her shoulders. Well that would explain it. Botan removed it quickly, and put it in the elaborate, cherry stained wardrobe.

Scanning her environment, she decided to check out her balcony. She opened the glass French doors and stepped out onto the stone terrace beyond it. A deafening shriek came from above her, and a large purple dragon swooped by her tower and toward the ground many hundred feet below her. The village, so small but charming and inviting was many miles away and looked like a small blur from her vantage point.

She glanced at her watch, wishing it to know the time here, but it read 3:00 a.m. Since she stood in broad daylight, she doubted its accuracy, and made a mental note to ask Kurogame, should she see him again, for the actual time. For now she would have to guess.

After admiring, once again, the amazing scenery this world had to offer, she began to feel boredom seeping into her bones. Desperate, she began to explore her tower for lack of something better to do. She worked her way down the spiral and investigated every platform and door she encountered. She had a library, a spa-esque thing, her bedchamber, a stellar observatory, and several empty rooms.

She could be worse off, definitely. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all. In fact, Botan decided, she could get used to it…

----------

The queen watched Hiei snooze in a tree and seethed. This was _not_ how their plan was supposed to work! He was supposed to barge in and walk into their trap. The problem was, he wasn't going anywhere- he was taking a nap for Kami's sake! - And he didn't appear to have any notion to save Botan.

How could something so perfect go so wrong?

Until she was able to answer that question and patch her botched plan, the queen had to be content with glaring heatedly at the screen in her throne room, brooding and wishing a hundred thousand hurts upon him

A voice interrupted her dark yet refreshing thoughts. "Mother?" called a man, peeking around the great wooden door at the end of the chamber. "Mother, what ever is the matter? You seem unhappy…"

"My perfectly conceived scheme is falling apart, love. I simply cannot seem to find what is going wrong!" she exclaimed.

"Perhaps, then, a new approach is needed?"

"Sokkoko, what would you suggest I do?"

"Clearly, that man is not keen upon rescuing our prisoner, and I doubt that the woman will be susceptible to torture," he said, "Perhaps it would be easier to have her give us the information we want voluntarily."

"Sokkoko! What you propose is madness!"

"No, Mother, it's quite simple; have her fall in love with someone, and she will tell him anything, and he in turn would inform us."

"This would require someone with extreme loyalty to the throne, and is available for such a task. Know then, that you would be responsible for the finding and monitoring of such a person, to ensure that the assignment is accomplished. Are you prepared to take on such a duty?"

"I am."

"Very well; go now, and finish what you have begun."

"Yes ma'am."

----------

That was incredibly short to make you wait 8 months on… but I've got a couple chaps ready, so get on reviewing!

You get cookies for saying nice things!

Sachie Jaganashi


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five. A highly disappointing review count, guys. Come on, help me out here. Like 200 hits to 3 reviews. We can do better than that!

RIGHT?

----------

Dream No More

Chapter 5

Sachie Ayame Yoritomo

----------

"YUSUKE!" Koenma shrieked, "Yusuke, what happened?"

"I don't know!" Yusuke shouted back.

"It took all of Reikai 3 days to pull the three of you out of there. You had better know something!"

"Look toddler, I don't know! They just vanished!"

"YOU'RE A DETECTIVE YUSUKE! THERE MUST BE SOMETHING!"

"Can we just go home?" asked Kuwabara.

"What's the matter, Kuwabara, got a cat to feed?" Yusuke taunted.

"It's not important!" he replied defensively.

"Please," said Kurama. "Let's try to stay calm. I think it would be best if we let spirit world intelligence take care of this. I believe we have sufficiently proven how little we know."

Koenma growled in frustration. "Very well, Kurama, I see your point. You all may leave. We'll keep you posted on anything that we find."

----------

After nearly two weeks of training, running around, cutting down and burning down trees, and overall insanity, Hiei had discovered how truly entertaining sleep was. He had begun to sleep almost 18 hours a day, seemingly forgetting about rescuing Botan.

He hadn't, of course.

It simply was lower down on his Hiei-do list. You couldn't rush into these things, you know?

During his two weeks of mayhem and… well, you get the point, he had actually scouted nearly two hundred fifty miles of terrain, and was starting to pick up on this language. Not bad, really. He had also found a nice little place in the mountains that overlooked the castle, and had a shallow pool next to a big, comfy tree.

To be honest, he was a little worried about Botan, but only a little. She was living in a castle, come on, how difficult could her life be? Granted, she was a captive, but he _had_ checked in on her once. He doesn't have that silly third eye for nothing. From what he had observed, she had at least 3 or four of the castle's higher ups- a captain, a prince, and so forth- fawning over her and attending to her every whim.

It almost seemed that she'd left him to become a flipping princess. Hiei fumed a little at the thought, but let it pass. He'd show them.

Wait, what?

Was he seriously feeling a little jealous of them? Was he loosing his mind? It may have been something in the water he'd drank… he thought it had tasted a bit funny. In any case, Hiei seemed to be loosing the ability to think rationally. He didn't need that, honestly.

But moving on, he decided to go meditate for a bit, and went to the nice little cave behind a waterfall he'd found.

----------

"Koenma, sir," Ayame said softly as she entered his office late at night.

"Yes, what is it?" he asked groggily, tired from his day's work.

"Sir it seems that we have a lead on the whereabouts of Botan and Hiei," she said.

"Well tell me already!" cried Koenma waking up immediately, and scattering papers in a thousand different directions.

"It seems that the investigative team has been able to determine that a portal was opened to another realm, but we have no data concerning the realm itself. What would you like us to do from here, Koenma-sama?"

He sighed and rubbed his temples. "We should focus first on getting Botan and Hiei back. If this place proves to be of consequence, then we can research it further later. Has the investigative team given an estimate on how long it will take to get the portal open again?"

"No sir," she replied. "I will tell you when they give me one."

"Thank you, Ayame, but call it a night. You've been working very hard on this case, and I know how close you are to Botan. Go and rest for a while, Ayame."

"Yes, Sir."

----------

The sun was setting, and Botan quietly marveled at how it painted the landscape as she stood on her balcony. The sky was colored in many shades of red, pink and gold, and the clouds were white with blazing outlines, and all this was in stark contrast to the rough and jagged mountains that appeared in dark purple and blue tones, with white halos around them due to the sunlight.

As she stood and admired, she heard a sudden knock on her door. She walked to it with some apprehension, hoping beyond hope that it wasn't that prince that had proclaimed passionate love for her, or that it was Hiei, though of the latter she was not sure why. Upon opening it however, she discovered it was none other than Kurogame.

"Good evening, miss. I thought I would join you for the sunset."

"That's very kind of you, however," she said, glancing over her should to look out toward the balcony where the sky was dark, "It appears that the show is over."

"So it would seem. Tomorrow, perhaps; how are you finding your stay here, miss Botan?" he asked kindly as she moved out of the doorway to let him enter the room.

"Well. A bit… intriguing to say the least, but well."

"That is very good to hear," he replied softly and with a warm smile.

"How did you get past the first door? At the base of the tower?" she asked suddenly.

"Oh, that? I have access to almost every chamber in this castle. It is no great feat for me to be here. I'm not intruding, am I?"

"No, not at all. I'd offer you something to drink, but,"

"That won't be necessary. I'll stay for only a short while. I would like to inform you that there is a plot against you."

"What?"

"As I said, there is a plot against you and your companion," he said calmly, but she could tell by looking into his eyes that he was worried. "The queen has enlisted many to try to pull information from you about the prophecy."

"I've already told her that I have no information to give," she said

"You and I know that, but the queen… she's desperate. She is afraid of loosing; afraid of what she doesn't know. I'm on your side, I wanted you to know that." He said, looking at her with warmth she had never known to exist.

"Thank you," she replied.

"I fear I must now leave you," he said with an almost heavy voice, and she swore that she heard a tinge of sadness. "Sweet dreams," he said quietly, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles gently while staring into her eyes, before disappearing down the tower stairs and into the night.

----------

_He stood on the cliff and looked out toward the castle, the wind swishing his robes and playing with his hair. He looked a bit like Hiei, but most anyone could tell that he was not. He had a melancholy look on his tan, wind-worn face as he focused on what lie before him._

_After a few moments of thought, he turned his head to the side and whistled sharply. He grabbed his sword that was propped up on a rock a few feet away as a colossal dragon rose in the air to hover beside it, its large wings beating and amber eyes ablaze with excitement. He ran over to the edge of the cliff and jumped on the dragon's back, grabbed the reigns that draped around its long neck, and guided the dragon toward the castle._

----------

That's a wrap people! I'd like to quickly address a quick change that I'm sure you've all noticed. I am no longer Sachie Jaganashi but Sachie Yoritomo. I've taken on my sensei's name, and Jaganashi wasn't as fitting anymore. Also, this IS hot-off-the-press material, and so I apologize about any errors or lack of clarity. Just point it out to me and I'll fix it.

Review! Please! You'll get some cookies and cake! And a box of pocky! pleading eyes Or warm fuzzies from a Bishie of your choice. Sound good? I know you wanna review….

Love,

Sachie


	6. Chapter 6

Dream No More

Chapter 6

Sachie Yoritomo

* * *

Hinageshi flew around the corners of the palace, barely able to stay on her feet as she rushed to Koenma's office.

"Where is Botan? Has anything happened, what's the update?" she demanded as she threw open the large doors.

"I'm sorry, Hinageshi," he replied, "But we know nothing more than we did two hours ago. Please, Hinageshi, this constant haggling isn't necessary."

"I'm sorry Koenma-sama, but I am simply so worried about her..."

"We all are, and I assure you that we are doing everything in our power to find her. I'll let you know as soon as we get new information, alright?"

"Yes sir. Thank you," she said, and then turned, dejected, and left.

Koenma sighed. Hiei and Botan had been gone for nearly two months. The team they had working on opening a portal was progressing slowly, and the Reikai Tantei regularly showed serious concerns for their safety. Koenma was simply at a loss for what to do to get them back. For all he knew they could be floating in psuedospace or even dead. He was starting to get desperate.

* * *

A knock sounded on the thin, faux-wood door of Shizuru's apartment. She rose, slightly confused as to who it might be, and opened the door.

"Kurama," she said, pleasantly surprised. "Please, come in."

"Thank you," he replied. He entered the modest apartment; once it had also housed the younger Kuwabara sibling, who had recently taken up residence at Genkai's temple in pursuit of Yukina. "I apologize for not calling ahead of time, and for coming so late."

"To what do I owe the honor?" she asked, sitting on her worn couch and motioning for him to join her.

"To be honest, I was looking for a bit of conversation. I've had a lot on my mind."

"Like what?"

"Our world is changing," he said after a moment. "Yusuke and Keiko are moving forward with their relationship- I wouldn't be surprised if they're married soon. And I understand that your brother has moved out recently," he only half asked.

"That's right. Off to go woo his ice princess, I guess." She replied, chuckling. She took a drink from a small glass on the coffee table, filled with something he assumed, from its smell, to be alcoholic. She saw his gaze on her glass, and said, "Can I get you anything?"

He looked a little surprised. "I wouldn't mind some tea, if it's not any trouble."

She rose and walked the few steps to the tiny kitchen and put on the kettle, and then returned to the couch.

"I'm sure you're right about your brother. It will be much easier to win her over without Hiei's constant interference."

"Speaking of Hiei, how do you think he and Botan are fairing? They're not exactly the best of friends," Shizuru asked, smiling.

"Hiei and Botan have a history of being a volatile mix. Hiei's honor won't let him desert her, that I'm sure of. But his honor does allow him some liberty when it comes to dealing with people he thinks are pests."

"That doesn't bode well for Botan, does it?"

"On the surface, no. Hiei can be duplicitous at times, but deep down his heart is usually in the right place. Who knows, they might even come out of this as friends."

Shizuru laughed out loud at his suggestion. "I guess we'll see," she replied. The teapot began to shriek, and she rose to prepare tea for her guest. Kurama followed her the short way to the utilitarian kitchen.

"Are you ever lonely, Shizuru?" he asked contemplatively.

She was caught a bit off guard by his question. "Why do you ask?"

"It must be hard for you, now with your brother gone. And I understand that you and Botan were fairly close friends."

She thought for a moment before she responded. "I guess. Now that you mention it, I am a little lonely. Life is a little bit boring after all the excitement we've had in our lives recently. Without you guys always getting into trouble, it seems like a bit of the fire has gone out of my life."

He paused for a moment, and considered her. "I understand. Life has been rather dull lately- all of the errands we do for Koenma seem to run together after a while."

Shizuru handed him his tea, which he thanked her for and they returned to sitting on the couch.

"What do you get up to, apart from that?" Shizuru asked.

"I garden in my spare time, and I do work every now and then. It's difficult, though, to find an employer that is understanding of the duties I have to the Spirit World. And then of course, I do try to keep Hiei out of trouble."

Shizuru smiled. "That must be a full time job on its own. I know I ran myself ragged keeping track of my baby bro, when he was still here."

Kurama smiled back at her knowingly, and the pair fell into a comfortable silence for a while and nursed their drinks. At length, Kurama's watch chimed the hour and he glanced down at it. Noting that it was now 11, he rose to leave. "Thank you for your company and your hospitality, Shizuru. I fear I must leave now," he said, a bit forlorn.

She rose too, and walked with him to the door. "If you ever need to shoot the shit late at night again, you know where to find me," she said jokingly. He smiled at her, and bid her farewell. She stood at the door a moment after it had clicked shut, and the returned to her worn out couch.

* * *

_He stood on the mountainside, the wind ruffling his black hair as he overlooked the valley that contained the castle and the village. Beside the young man, dressed in black garb with leather boots, a regal dragon was resting, a dark sapphire creature, almost black. _

_He glanced to his left, revealing a handsome profile, as a woman, clad in an elegant kimono, emerged from a nearby thicket. Her presence seemed to please him greatly, as his demeanor changed from stern concentration to a semblance of peace._

_They conversed briefly in a language that was soft and beautiful, and it rolled easily off their tongues as she moved toward him and the pair embraced. He reached a hand up and stroked her hair, a soft shade of powder blue, and she placed her head on his shoulder. He spoke to her softly, and it brought a light of happiness into her eyes._

_He kissed her forehead, softly, and the two moved apart. She backed toward the wood she had appeared from, and watched him mount his now-standing dragon and fly off into the distance._

* * *

Botan woke from her dream and rose quietly, feeling as if she was being watched. She glanced about her chamber nervously, but discovered nothing lurking in the darkness. Judging from the temperature and darkness, she guessed it was between midnight and one o'clock.

She decided to see what the world looked like at night, because she hadn't observed it before. So, she dug out a long robe to keep herself warm and walked out onto the terrace to find a young man standing there and leaning on the railing, his back turned to her. She could see that he was not Hiei, but he did have black hair and was garbed in dark clothing as well.

"I wondered if you would come out," he said.

"Who are you?" she asked, wrapping the robe around her more tightly, taking a step back, but knowing that if he had violent intentions, she was trapped.

He turned to face her. "I am Uyeda. It is nice to meet you."


	7. Chapter 7

_Botan frowned. "Uyeda?"_

_He nodded. "I have a few questions for you."_

_She thought for a moment, and then motioned for him to take a seat on one of the chairs there. He did so. "Firstly, what is your name, my fair lady?"_

"_Botan."_

"_Thank you. That actually answers all of my questions. I am sorry for disturbing you, Botan."_

"_What is that supposed to mean? Why exactly are you here, anyway!" _

_He looked at her, and she found that his eyes were a bright bottle green. "I was here looking for my mistress. Someone had told me that she was being held captive at this fortress, and she matches your description. I had thought you might be her, but you are not."_

"_I'm sorry, but why exactly are you looking for her? I mean besides because she's your mistress and all."_

"_You're rather astute," he replied, "I'll be frank with you. We have a war to win. I apologize for disturbing your sleep. Good night." And with that he whistled, and a dragon flew past the ramparts and he jumped on its back, and flew off into the moonlight toward the mountains._

_

* * *

_Hiei awoke suddenly from his dream, but he did not start or cry out; he merely snapped his eyes open and starred up at the starry sky from his tree branch. He laid there for a moment, and contemplated what he had seen. He was slightly disturbed by the dream for reasons he didn't know, and was annoyed with himself because he didn't know what the problem was.

He wondered absently if it had been real, and although part of him thought it was foolish, another part of him knew his Jagan eye was capable of causing such images, although he was certain he hadn't –consciously- given it an order to do so. Freud, although he studied human behavior, would have been proud.

Deciding to take his chances, Hiei leapt to the top of the tree he had been sleeping in and turned his gaze toward the castle, and verily, by the light of the full moon he saw the dragon flying towards the mountains somewhere to the south east of his position. He watched the dragon fly off, part of him wishing that this Uyeda person would have been able to take Botan from the tower for him, and another piece of him happy that he'd just left Botan alone.

'_Botan,'_ he thought as he turned his gaze back to the castle. He debated shortly with himself on whether or not to contact her using his Jagan, but in the end decided to just leave it be. _'Great,'_ he thought humorlessly to himself, _'she's giving me a split personality. Just what I always needed.'_ He returned effortlessly to his branch, settled back down, closed his eyes and went back to sleep thinking to himself, _'I suppose I'll be alright so long as I don't start saying bingo at random intervals anytime soon.'_

The next morning he awoke with the sun, dropped from his branch and walked slowly to the nearby river to wash his face a bit. Today's would be a scouting adventure focusing on the outward defenses of the castle itself and maybe what kind of military forces resided in it, if he was feeling really daring.

When he looked up however, he was greeted with the sight of a woman, clad in a dark purple robe with blue hair gazing down at him. At first, his mind deceived him into thinking it was Botan, but he found that though their features were similar, they looked quite different. He glowered at her for a moment, and didn't move from his kneeling position next to the river.

They stayed like this for a while, before she finally addressed him.

"And just precisely where have you been all this while? Surely a scout was able to contact you. I'm certain you are aware of the haste that is needed in this operation, are you not?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Surely you have not forgotten me?"

"To forget you I must have known you to begin with."

"Pray tell, what is your name?"

"I am Hiei."

"Truly? How very odd. Here I was certain you were my husband, but alas, upon proper inspection I do find you quite different from him. He is much taller than you, for starters," she said pleasantly with a small chuckle.

Hiei hned in annoyance and rose from the riverbank. "Go away," he said.

She frowned at him as he walked away, and then flitted out of her sight. She sighed, turned and began to walk in the opposite direction.

* * *

The day after this encounter, Botan was awakened in the moments before sunrise by the loud beating of drums. Groggily, she sat up in bed, rubbed her bleary eyes and shook her head in an attempt to wake herself. Still feeling tired, she continued to rub her eyes as she put her feet on the cold stone floor and put her robe and a pair of fuzzy slippers she'd managed to procure from one of her suitors. She shivered slightly, and then walked to her balcony.

She stepped outside, and in the fiery morning colors, she saw a massive amount of people assembling on the plain in front of the castle and around the village. She gasped as she observed the large trolls and the tall wooden towers and the wooden wall that had been erected perhaps five miles out from the castle and ran just outside the edge of the town. The normally yellow grasses seemed to have turned grey by the masses. Botan wondered if the army extended all the way around, or if it only faced the mountains. The drumming grew louder.

"The drums of war," a voice said from behind her. She jumped at the sound and immediately turned around to find the prince standing behind her. "Good morning, Botan," he said pleasantly, stepping toward her.

"What's happening?" she asked him, turning back to the scene unfolding before them.

"We're preparing for war. I'm sure you know by now what happened yesterday?"

She did know. At sundown, a horseman had all but flown through the castle gates and into the queen's hall. He was severely wounded and absolutely terrified. He had dropped from his horse and fell to his knees sobbing in front of the queen. "What is it!" she'd demanded.

He looked at her with tears pouring down his face. "The western outposts have fallen. They are coming."

Botan had been told by a maid that had come to her chamber an hour after the incident to light torches and candles told her, "They're invading. Even after all her majesty has done, they're still coming." Botan asked her how long it would be until the invaders arrived.

"A day or so, at best, ma'am," she'd replied.

Botan continued to muse on the situation when the prince interrupted her. "I'm sorry, Botan, but as I'm sure you can understand, I'm really very busy today. Is there anything I can send up for you?"

She snapped out of her reverie and looked at him. She thought briefly and then said, "I'd like a dress. This kimono of mine is really quite dingy. It would be great to have something clean to wear."

He smiled at her. "I'll have them do that right away." She thanked him, and he left.  


* * *

"_Uyeda," said the woman, "I've found you. I ran into someone quite like you this morning, I'm afraid I gave him quite a start."_

"_Did you?" Uyeda replied. _

"_Indeed. What have you been up to the last many months, my love?"_

"_Planning, until now."_

"_Truly? And what are you doing now?"_

_He looked out onto the burning watchtowers and tents of the western outposts and smiled. "Now, we are marching to victory. In a few days, this will all be over. In a few days, it will be ours."  


* * *

_Remember how I said I'd update more often than every six months?

Me too!

Hehehehehe yeah sorry about that. I decided to get a bad concussion and develop dyslexia, and then go and have a senior year in high school or something. Who does that?

Anyway, feel free to throw rotten fruit at me. I totally deserve it. Review anyway? Please?

~Sachie

PS: If there are any glaring errors in grammar or spelling, please lemme know. Thanks!

PPS: Sorry for the earlier icky format. The breaks have been put back in place, and it should make some more sense now.


	8. Chapter 8

"_In a few days, it will all be ours."  


* * *

_

Hiei stood at the top of his tree and looked down at the valley. He could see small fingers of smoke rising from the plain which was darkened, though why it was difficult to tell at this distance. It could have caught fire in the night, but he wasn't sure. He decided that he'd have to investigate further, and so he began to descend down to the plain.

It took him a couple of hours, but what he saw when he arrived did not please him. It was an army, a huge army, and they were hastily preparing for battle. Overhead, a company of dragons soared over the assembly to land at the other end of the lines. "That is not good," he said quietly to himself.

He had assumed that his time to get Botan was more or less indefinite, and he had not been prepared to single-handedly storm the castle before all its armies had debuted on its doorstep. Hiei may be cocky from time to time, but he knew that he couldn't defeat them all by himself. Well, maybe he could, but not discreetly or without completely overtaxing his body. And even if he could, defeating an army of thousands and then taking over a castle to rescue her would probably give off the wrong impression. He growled; he didn't really like the idea of leaving her there in the middle of open warfare, but his options were limited.

In his frustration, the wheels of his mind began to turn, and after a few moments, he smiled, and moved into the edge of the forest half a mile behind him to wait. He sat in a tree, still smirking and listening to the drums of war.  


* * *

By eleven o'clock in the morning a gaggle of handmaiden-type women walked into her tower carrying several garments for her to choose from. The women were all clearly distressed and nearly silent, and as Botan tried each dress on (she did have lots of time to burn) she attempted to strike up a conversation with them and lighten the mood, but she did not succeed. In the end, she settled for a full-length rose colored dress with lightweight sleeves, and took a pair of sandals that one of the women offered. They packed up the things she hadn't taken (she'd been allowed only one), bowed to her, and were gone.

She was not alone long however, as Kurogame entered the room not ten minutes after they had left. "Good morning, Botan," he said after he closed the door, and he made a polite bow. "You look lovely today."

She smiled kindly at him and replied, "Thank you. I'm very surprised to see you here, with all that's going on," she said, and the smile he wore faded a little. She noted this and was quick to add, "But thanks for coming up to see me. I love having company."

His smile returned, and Botan internally sighed with relief. "Yes," he said, "Today is a big day. I fear, however, that it is too soon in coming and that we will suffer. We learned from the scout who returned from the west that their numbers closely match or even exceed our own. It will be a hard and bitter fight."

Botan looked out of the window toward the fields below, and though they were obscured by the stone of the balcony, she could envision the hordes of soldiers that were down there, and she contemplated the number of the enemy. "I can see why you say that."

"How do you fair this day, milady?"

"Well, I'm doing fine really. I'm apprehensive to say the least, but I really don't know what to expect. I'm not sure whether I should be afraid or not; and to be honest, I don't even know which side I'm rooting for in this whole thing, you know what I mean?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm familiar with the feeling."

Silence fell, and a question hung in the air around Botan's head. It took her several moments, but she finally mustered the courage to ask it. "Will you be out fighting them?"

"Her majesty has seen fit to keep my company and I inside the castle. I don't mean to be presumptuous, but I fear that means she expects them to make it this far."

Botan's face paled. She may have no allegiance to the people that held her, but the invaders didn't know that. What if they…

"I'm sorry," he said, interrupting her train of thought, "I didn't mean to frighten you. It is only speculation, of course."

"Of course," she replied. She moved to the side of her bed, upon which lay her kimono. She began to fold it absently, and silence fell on them again. She finished her task, and took the garment to the wardrobe and placed it inside. Her eyes wandered to the cloak that hung inside, and her eyes widened a little.

'Hiei,' she thought, 'Where was he? Did he know what was happening? Would he be alright?'

"Are you okay?" Kurogame asked.

"Yes; I was just thinking about Hiei. He's out there somewhere. I hope he's alright."

"Tell me about him," he said, sitting down on a chair in front of the desk.  


* * *

"Koenma, sir!" Ayame exclaimed as she burst into his office.

"What is it?" he demanded, not looking up from his stamping.

"The team… They've made a breakthrough on the portal. It should be done by this time tomorrow sir."

Koenma stopped stamping and looked up at her. "Really?" George asked, looking hopeful.

"Yes. They're making excellent progress."

"How long do they think they can keep it open, Ayame?" Koenma asked.

"I'm not sure, sir; perhaps a day or so."

"Very well; assemble the rest of the Reikai Tantei. Have them ready to go the second that portal opens."

"Yes, sir," she replied. Then she bowed, and let herself out.

Once she was gone, Koenma began to jump around with joy, and he had huge chibi anime stars in his eyes. George joined him in celebration by doing some kind of odd dance, which would have distressed even Koenma at any other time. "Ogre!" he shouted suddenly as he stopped his rejoicing. George paused mid groove, with his feet spread apart and his arms above his head, and he looked at Koenma.

"Yes, Koenma, sir?"

"Let's go get a couple squid-on-a-stick! Botan's coming back, and that means I'll have to see you a little less! Come on!" Koenma shouted as he bounced out of the room.

George followed a little sadly and with tears in his eyes. "Oh Koenma, sir you always say the meanest things to me!"  


* * *

It was late, Kurama thought. And he was right, at least a little. It was seven o'clock, but since it was wintertime night had fallen several hours beforehand. He stood outside the block of apartments where Shizuru lived, contemplating whether he should go and tell her what was happening before he left, or just going on to the meeting point where Ayame would transport them to the Spirit World.

"Do you do this to all the girls you know, or am I just special?" Shizuru asked from behind him. He started and turned to face her, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "It's cold out here, in case you haven't noticed," she continued without waiting for him to respond. "I really hope you don't do this very often, Kurama," she said as she moved toward the building, throwing him a smirking sidelong glance.

"No," he replied a little sheepishly, "I don't make a habit of it, no. I thought I'd tell you that they've found a way to get to Hiei and Botan."

"Is that where you're headed?" she asked. "Well good. Hopefully they haven't killed each other."

"Hopefully," he replied.

"I'm sure you know about Yusuke and Keiko, right?"

"That they're engaged now? Yes, I know."

"Kazuma told me yesterday. Said Yusuke asked him to be best man."

"They grow up so quickly, don't they?" Kurama asked.

Shizuru stepped towards him. "Yes, they do," she replied softly.

* * *

Kurogame looked at Botan, and then to the outside. "They will be here soon," he told her.

"How soon?"

"Within the hour. I must go now," he said as he began to leave. She followed him to the door.

"Good luck," she told him.

"Thank you," he said, and he kissed her knuckles, then left.

It was early in the afternoon, maybe three, but Botan felt weary and in need of rest. Remembering Hiei's cloak, she went to the wardrobe, and looked at it for a moment. An impulse gripped her. She fought it for a moment, but in the end her hand slowly moved to take it out. She held it in her hands, shakily, and wondered if he had been cold without it. But then she remembered the short collection of nights in which he had given it to her to keep her warm. She smiled at the memory, although she wasn't sure why it made her happy. She told herself that it was because even if they didn't get along very well, and even if he had an abrasive personality, that he was still part of her normal life, and the only part that was anywhere near this place. She brushed the sentiment off as nostalgia, in spite of the strange feeling of peace she got from it.

She yawned. After staring at it for the last several moments, Botan decided to put the cloak on. She glanced at the full length mirror and laughed at her goofy appearance. The cloak, which looked so fashionable on Hiei, barely came to her knees. It was very misshapen, accounting for her womanly shape, pulling horribly across her chest and tapering in far from her natural waistline, as it did on him; all in all, she looked a little more than comical.

The pounding outside grew louder, breaking her concentration, and she faintly heard cries coming from the castle below her. She moved outside once more to see if she could discern what was happening. A grey mass had formed on the horizon and was just coming into view, growing larger as each moment passed. All around the field dragons began to take flight and they moved toward the approaching force. She took a deep breath, then returned inside to her bedchamber, lay down on the bed, and closed her eyes.  


* * *

The Reikai Tantei stood beside Ayame on a bend of the River Styx. Before them, a special task force continued to work at opening the portal.

Yusuke began to give his team a pep talk. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you both this, but we don't have any idea what we're up against when we get in there. Stick together and be careful, okay?"

"Of course," said Kurama.

"You got it, Urameshi."

"Detective," Ayame said, "The team has informed me that after they open the portal, they can only keep it open for two days. You must return by that time, with or without them. Koenma would much rather have two of his team members missing than all five."

"You got it."  


* * *

Hiei opened his eyes as the sun began to set. He looked up at the sky which was covered in dark clouds, the setting sun giving them a red lining. He left his tree and began to move back to the plains. Dragons screeched overhead, but their riders took no notice of him. He reached a small hill, a good vantage point, and paused. To his right were the village, castle and defending army. To his left and in front of him the other army advanced. The army consisted of about 60 percent infantry, 30 percent horseman, and the last of their forces were dragons and their riders. Judging from the speed of their approach and the distance between them and the lines of battle, Hiei estimated that the battle would begin in between twenty and thirty minutes. He glanced at the mountains; the sun would set completely in about the same time. He smirked. He would fall into their ranks and follow them into the fight, and infiltrate the castle under cover of darkness.

* * *

_Uyeda and his wife stood on the right flank of their army, watching them march on to their destination. "Milady," he said to her, "they will not go down easily. I think you should stay behind and lead from the back."_

_She looked at him sourly. "And I suppose you will be leading the charge?"_

"_I will be towards the front, yes; though perhaps not on the front line."_

"_How comforting."_

"_One of us must survive this fight. I know you can lead this nation without me, should it come to that. If neither of us survive, it will create a power vacuum that will make our conquest mean nothing."_

"_I understand. I don't like it, but I understand. I'll stay behind."_

_He smiled a little at her and then kissed her cheek. "Take care," he said. He mounted a nearby horse and rode off into the ranks. At the same time, Hiei slid out of the shadows and into the masses of soldiers. The lady too, mounted her horse, and sat sidesaddle on its back. She continued to watch the army march past, and then looked to the castle as rain began to fall._

"_The board is set," she said. "The pieces are moving."

* * *

_

Yes, I know that's a Lord of the Rings quote. Shoot me. :p

Also, shoot me for forgetting to update a perfectly complete chapter for a really long time. My bad, peeps! If you see any heinous errors, lemme know!!

**Only two chapters left!**

Reviews?

~SJY


	9. Chapter 9

"_The board is set," she said. "The pieces are moving."

* * *

_

Dream No More

Sachie Yoritomo

Chapter 9

* * *

Botan was awoken from her nap by a loud pounding on her door. Adrenaline rushed through her body and she bolted upright. Night had fallen, and she could her sounds of fighting from the outside. Before she could cross the three paces to the door, Kurogame nearly knocked it off its hinges. He was panting, but did not stop to catch his breath.

"The queen wants you. The prince is coming for you. We have to move quickly," he said as he grabbed her hand and began to drag her down the spiraling stairs.

"What do you mean?" she asked, running behind him, "What do they want?"

They both heard the door at the bottom of the tower open below them, and indistinct shouting from a group of men. "Come on!" he whispered, dragging her into one of the empty rooms in the tower on the landing just below them. He shut the door quietly behind them and only a few moments later they heard the men gallop up the stairs past them. When the noise passed, they burst from the room and ran as fast as they could down to the base of the tower and out of the door.

When the exited, they were greeted by two armed guards, presumably left there by the prince's entourage. The two men were surprised, but once they regained their composure drew their weapons and attacked. Kurogame disposed of them quickly, grabbed Botan's hand and continued their flight.

They weaved through corridors and down stairs, ducked into doorways and closets to avoid being seen, and took out a guard or two on their way to a main level. By the time they reached it, Botan was completely lost, and really hoped she didn't have to continue to run without Kurogame to lead her.

Here, on the fourth floor of the castle, which also housed the major dining and event halls, Botan found a new meaning to the phrase "strength in numbers". It was crawling with people, mostly servants of some kind or other, and she assumed that the majority of them didn't have the faintest idea of who she was. Kurogame led her through the crowd, and he spoke softly to her as they moved. "The queen seeks to execute you. She feels that if you had come forward with information upon your capture we would not be under siege. She sent her son after you because they both believed that he was in your confidence, and that you trusted him. I intercepted the message."

Botan accepted this easily, but then a thought struck her. "Well, if you're on my side, where are YOU taking me?" she asked quietly.

"I'm taking you to the hall of charts and records," he responded, "where I will supply you with a map of the castle and the surrounding area, and also with a weapon. You must escape."

'Fair enough,' thought Botan. They ducked into a servant's staircase and descended another floor. They veered into a hallway, walked down in for several more yards, and entered into a doorway on their right.

On the desk sat the maps that he had told her of, and he brought her close to them. "The staircase you just used is here," he said, pointing. "It is rarely used by anyone other than staff and servants. The corridors leading off it will more than likely be deserted tonight, but for the sake of caution don't use any of them, unless you have to hide.

"When I leave you here, wait ten minutes and then take that staircase down to the first floor, where it will dead end into a single hallway. Enter it, and take the second door on your left. It's a storeroom, but behind the barrels of whiskey there's a trapdoor leading down into a tunnel. It is long, dark and damp, but it will lead you into the village. It is defended, but that is not important. When you reach it, find somewhere to hide and stay there. Do you understand?"

Botan gulped, and nodded.

"Take these," he said, folding the maps and handing them to her. Then he reached for his belt and removed the second sword he carried with him, and gave that to her also. "I know you're not well versed in its use, but some protection is better than none at all. I must go now. Good luck."

He opened the door to leave, and a voice from outside said, "Captain! They've breeched the gate and they're coming inside."

"Is the queen safe?"

"She's been moved to the dining hall."

"Good. Seal them off."

* * *

The fighting outside had been raging for nearly two hours in the darkness; it had been a vicious battle, as Kurogame had predicted. The thousands of wounded were being taken to the already over-crowded village, full of terrified residents, weary defenders and the growing casualties. A retreat to the castle and village, their last strongholds, was already in progress.

In short, they were being over-run.

Hiei entered the castle with the rest of the flood of soldiers chasing the defenders into their refuge, and after a few moments of general conquest decided that he was not going to be able to find Botan in this big castle the old fashioned way. He reached up and removed his headband; his Jagan eye opened, and he began to search for her.

It didn't take him long, and he saw that she was sneaking into a hallway, and then moved to a staircase and down it. 'She's above me,' he thought, 'So I have to go up.'

He saw a group of the opposing side's men beginning to retreat up a staircase, and he decided to follow them. He used his lightning speed to rush past them and took them all by surprise. He passed onto the second floor without opposition. He stopped briefly to gain his bearings. His sudden appearance startled several soldiers, who hesitated on whether or not to attack him, but by the time any one of them got around to making a decision, Hiei turned to his right and ran down the passage.

He continued in that direction until he reached a large congregation of soldiers in front of a grand staircase on his left. He turned and wove through the crowd, causing even more confusion, and ascended the stairs. Here on the third level the soldiers were not quite as shaken and began to attack him when he appeared in their midst. Mostly he was able to dodge them, but he left half a dozen casualties in his wake as he found another stair leading to the fourth floor.

The real fighting began when he set foot on the stone floor. The various servants had been moved to higher ground, so to speak, and the entirety of the available space was taken up by soldiers; pikemen, swordsmen, archers and even horsemen packed the halls. Hiei began to mow down anyone in his path while he tried to find a way up. He took on several waves of defenders until finally someone began shouting at them in the native tongue, and the fighting ceased. A horse clip-clopped up to him and its rider addressed him.

"Hiei," Kurogame said, "Follow me." He kicked his horse into motion, and began to trot down the hall. Hiei followed the horseman, much to his own surprise.

'Well,' he thought, 'he must know something if he can call me by name.' After completing a quarter of the circle around the castle, Kurogame dismounted his horse and handed it off to a nearby soldier, and then he opened the same door into the servant's stair.

"Botan's told me of you," he whispered, and Hiei' eyes sharpened their focus on him. "She's making her escape down these steps. If you hurry, she may not yet be out of the castle." Hiei's mouth opened slightly in surprise at the unexpected help he was being given; he didn't completely trust this man, and he did not move or speak. Kurogame looked anxious. "Listen," he said, "She most likely needs your help. Please, go to her," he pleaded.

Hiei closed his eyes and his Jagan glowed briefly. Then his eyes snapped open. "Yes," he said. "Thank you," he continued as he moved passed Kurogame to start running down the stairs.

He descended and reached the second platform down, where he encountered a man with a club in his hand moving in on Botan. Botan's back was pressed up against the wall of the circular chamber, a sword in her hands, hoping it would hold the distance between them.

Part of Hiei just wanted to stand back and she how she handled the situation, (in most any other situation, he would have honored this part), but he recognized their need for haste, and plunged his sword into the man's chest. He did not die immediately, but instead looked curiously down at the blade that was suddenly protruding from his chest before he passed. Hiei withdrew the weapon and the man fell to the ground revealing a rather surprised Botan.

Realization dawned on her quickly. "Hiei!" she exclaimed, and she dropped her weapon, stepped over the dead body and ran up several stairs before she leaped at him. She threw her arms around his neck, and the momentum of the impact forced him to take a couple of steps back and up the stairs to keep his balance. Instinctively, his arms closed around her to keep them both from falling, and he was left still holding his sword a little awkwardly behind her back, a somewhat startled look on his face.

Unthinkingly, she pressed her lips to his, though she kissed him too long and too sincerely for it to be appropriate for the situation. Realizing her impropriety, she pulled away from him, blushing madly, and she stammered a little before she could think of something intelligent to say. "I'm sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "Oh Hiei, you don't know how happy I am to see you," she said a moment later, offering it as some kind of explanation.

He blinked at her actions for a moment, before he responded, "I think I've got an idea."

Sounds of fighting came from the doors leading to the main concourse, and it brought them both out of reality.

"Let's get out of here," Botan said, moving away from him, collecting her sword and moving down the stairs.

"Good idea," he replied sarcastically, but he followed her. They reached the bottom of the stairs, and just as Kurogame had told her, it dead ended into a hallway. She followed his instructions.

Bursting through an old, half rotten door, they found themselves in a dusty old store room. Botan coughed a bit when she entered, followed by Hiei, who carefully shut what was left of the door behind them. It was very dark, and it took Botan several moments before her eyes adjusted to the overall lack of light.

"Well," Hiei said impatiently from her left, "I'm following you."

"Yes," she replied awkwardly. She walked -well more like hobbled, hopped and tripped- her way towards the back wall, where she could make out some barrels. She then began searching among them along the floor for the trap door; Hiei stood some five feet from her, terribly amused at the sight of her rummaging around on her hands and knees in the dark for something he could see quite clearly.

He allowed her the satisfaction of finding it herself, as she did two minutes later. It was nearly two feet square, had iron hinges and an iron ring to be used to lift it. Botan pulled it open and groped around on the inside of it for a ladder. She found one opposite the hinges of the trapdoor, and gave it a good shake. It was rickety, but she decided it would hold. She turned to look up at him. "Am I going first?"

He pondered for short moment before he nodded.

"Okay," she said. She pushed herself into a seated position, scooted over to the ladder and swung her legs over to the side. "See you at the bottom," she said and began to descend out of sight. The ladder clamored a bit as she climbed down, a bit more than either of them would have liked, but it could not be avoided. The noise stopped and she called up to him, "Alright, Hiei, your turn!"

"Hn," he replied as he climbed into the hole and grabbed the ring on the bottom side of the trapdoor, pulling it closed after him. He made his way down quickly and reached the earthen floor beside her.

"This tunnel should lead us to the village," she told him as they began walking into the darkness.

Hiei held out his right hand and flames burst from it to light the way. "It's a long way there," he said quietly. "And what exactly do you plan that we do once we get there, onna?"

She thought on this. "Well," she responded, "I was just gonna lay low and try to make a break for it. I didn't have a plan after that."

"Hn," Hiei said again. What _would_ they do afterward? In all likelihood, they were looking at spending the rest of their lives here. They'd better figure something out. Hiei's mind formulated two most likely scenarios, and he wasn't sure if he liked either of them.

They could just settle down and live… well… together for the whole time, living off of the land or getting some kind of house or something. Which would be weird. Or, they could just go their separate ways and he could just do what he'd been doing for the last several weeks, and she could sell noodles at a local shop or something. Considering all that he'd just done to save her, option number two didn't seem like a very sensible choice, really. He didn't hate her _that_ much. _'You don't hate her at all,'_ said the aggravating voice in his head. _'Shut up, you,'_ Hiei told it.

"Well," she said, as if she'd been listening in, "I think we'll play it by ear for a while. I'm sure we'll come up with something. I mean, maybe we'll find a way back to Reikai, right?"

Hiei glanced sideways at her. "Sure, onna," he replied sarcastically.

"Hey!" she replied, but didn't have another statement to tag onto it to continue their argument, and silence fell again. It was short lived, as she broke it half a mile down the path. "Hiei," she asked sheepishly.

He looked at her, puzzled and a little concerned (he remembered very well the last time she'd acted sheepish) and replied, "What?"

"Is that a special kind of fire you're using?"

He stopped and gazed at her briefly, confused. "A special… kind… of fire?" he repeated.

"Yeah, like you use the Darkness Flame and the Mortal Flame. Is it something like one of those?"

He blinked at her several times before he answered and continued moving on. "No," he said awkwardly. "It's just… fire."

"Oh. Okay." Silence returned.

They spoke little to one another for another two miles, by which time they were nearly below the town.

"Onna," he said to her.

She seethed a little, and wished to high heaven that once, just once he'd call her Botan, but replied, "Yes?"

"Listen. When we get there, we're going to have to make a quick exit. I expect you to keep up."

She frowned, but nodded. "I'll do my best."

* * *

They reached the village, and peeked through the trap door, each of them holding onto one side of the rusty iron ladder, and Hiei holding the door just over their heads. It opened into what Botan assumed was the mill, judging from the large grinding stone in the middle and the donkey standing in the corner that she could hardly see in the pre-dawn light. Wounded, dead and dying soldiers packed every available space on the floor and along the walls. "Now what do we do?" she whispered in his ear.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, but he ignored it. Outside, they could still hear fighting and the sounds of villagers running past. "Quickly!" one said, presumably the mayor or some other leader, "We make for Calum! Use the forest path."

Hiei spotted a window nearby. "We go out through there," he whispered back at her, gesturing toward it with his head.

"What about all of them?" she asked, referring to the soldiers.

"Don't trip over them," he said calmly. He opened the door fully, and they both climbed out of the square hole. Soldiers keen enough to notice looked at them, some groaned, but nobody made any major protest. Botan dropped the door to cover the tunnel, and then followed Hiei to the window. He opened it, and allowed her to climb through it and drop onto the dirt street on the other side of the wooden wall first, following behind her immediately.

Outside, a mass exodus of villagers was taking place; families scrambled out of their homes, pulling carts laden with heirlooms and other possessions. Some piled into wagons, and still others took horses abandoned by their soldiers. "Let's follow them," Botan said to Hiei. He nodded his approval and they slipped into the crowd, doing their best not to stand out as they made their way out of the village and into the forest. Behind them fires burned in the village and beyond it on the plain surrounding the castle which towered in the distance. Dragons screeched and writhed in the air around it and above the burning ruins.

They walked for hours. The group, consisting mostly of women and children, had skirted around the tropical forest Hiei and Botan had originally arrived in and remained in a temperate forest, beginning to move into the foothills of the mountains.

As the afternoon began to wane, the elderly couple they had met so many weeks ago found them, and walked beside them quietly for a few moments. The old man was leading a small cart pulled by a horse carrying their belongings. The woman had a mare that appeared to have been obtained from a fallen soldier.

The old woman spoke. "It is a long way to where we are going. Take this horse. She will serve you two well." She handed the reigns to Botan, and would not take no for an answer. Then she and her husband disappeared into the crowd.

Hiei and Botan continued on in silence for a while, and inside Hiei's head, something clicked.

"Onna." He said.

She turned to him. "Yes, Hiei?"

He stopped. "I'm leaving. Stay with these people. I will find you." And with that, he was gone.

* * *

_Kurogame stood between the conquered queen and her son, and the victorious pair. The queen was being taken from her throne and removed to the dungeons, and her son with her._

"_Please! Give us mercy!" he pleaded._

"_That is not for us to decide," Uyeda replied. "The people you tormented will determine your fate."_

"_You will pay!" the queen shouted as she was lead away._

"_It is over," said Uyeda's wife. "You have lost."

* * *

_

There you go folks! Only one more chapter left. I've been revising older chapters, but no drastic changes have occurred.

And finally, after 15,000 words, fluff! I bet you're pleased.

The Letters WILL GET AN UPDATE BY CHRISTMAS. Hopefully more like Thanksgiving, but I'm taking 19 credit hours this semester so I make you no promises. I've also got a new HB fic in the works that'll come out once this baby is all done! I'm pretty excited for it. Thank you guys for sticking with me for so long. You're all awesome.

Till next time!

~SJY


	10. Chapter 10

"_Onna." He said._

_She turned to him. "Yes, Hiei?"_

_He stopped. "I'm leaving. Stay with these people. I will find you." And with that, he was gone.

* * *

_

Dream No More

Sachie Yoritomo

Chapter 10

* * *

Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama anxiously waited for the newly opened portal to stabilize before they entered it. The leader of the special team addressed them. "It's nearly complete," he said. "Remember, only one at a time entering the portal, and count to fifteen before the next person enters. You have precisely 1.8 days before this portal closes. Got that?" They nodded. "Alright. Good luck down there! First person, ready, go!"

Kuwabara leapt forth, followed by Kurama and then finally by Yusuke. The air around the portal warped, but the portal stayed open, much to the relief of the Reikai Special Forces.

On the other end of the portal, Kuwabara, Kurama and Yusuke found themselves in the same awkward heap that Hiei and Botan had found themselves in not so terribly long ago. After some punching, kicking and hair pulling, the three boys got the mess sorted out and found themselves on the top of rocky hill overlooking the plain and castle.

The trio stood and observed their surroundings. "Well, whadda we do now, Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked.

Yusuke looked in the direction of the castle. "I say we go ask them for directions. Kurama?"

Kurama nodded his agreement, and they began to move.

* * *

Botan, after a three day trek, had made it to a secluded mountain village with the rest of the refugees. The village was located in a steep valley along the banks of a river, and the refugees set up camp along the fringes of town. Botan had chosen to set up her camp on the outskirts of the town and away from the other refugees. She supposed that if Hiei did come back as he said that he would, he would prefer to be removed from people.

She was very grateful to the old couple for the mare, as she'd been very helpful in the long climb. It had also proved use, as many assumed that she was newly married and that her husband was either missing or had been killed in the fighting. Resources were scarce, but she'd been provided with some food and blankets. It was winter here, and so the mare also provided her with an extra bit of warmth against the snow and the cold.

Botan set up in the middle of a circle of trees, and spread out her meager belongings- a cup, two blankets, flint, the sword Kurogame had given her and some food- on a patch of earth she cleared from snow. Then, she managed (after some difficulty) to remove the saddle from the horse, who'd she taken to calling Yuki. Before the sun fell, she gathered some tinder and fallen branches from the woods for a fire. Finally, after fighting to light her small fire, she melted snow in her cup, and settled in for a long, cold night.

* * *

Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama had reached the castle, and after ticking off some guards during an attempt at forcing entry, found themselves before Kurogame and the new queen.

"I am Kea," she told them when they were brought before her. "It is my understanding that you were trying to break into our castle."

"Listen lady," Yusuke said, trying to shake of the guard that held him, "We just want to ask some questions about a couple friends of ours, and these jerks wouldn't let us in! It's not our fault they have no manners!"

Kea opened her mouth to speak, but Kurogame raised his hand to her, asking permission to speak. With a nod, she yielded the floor to him. "Tell me about your friends," he said quietly.

This time, Kurama spoke. "We are looking for a man and a woman. The woman resembles your queen," he said, gesturing toward Kea, "and the man is shorter, has dark hair, and a quick temper."

Kea raised her eyebrows slightly and looked between Kurama and Kurogame. "The ones we're looking for, do you think?" she asked.

"What are their names?" Kurogame questioned.

"Hiei and Botan," Kuwabara answered.

Kurogame and Kea looked at each other in shock. "I'll get Uyeda." She said, and began to walk out of the throne room. "Release them. Immediately," she said to the guards holding the trio.

Once the queen was gone, Kurogame began to speak. "Nearly 2 weeks ago, our former government was overthrown. The previous queen had Botan captured and held prisoner in this castle. I knew her when I served as a double agent. I met Hiei briefly. He helped her escape into the village to our south. They have not been seen since. That village's inhabitants fled during the battle. We believe we know where the villagers went but we don't know if they were among them.

"We are looking for them because our new government wishes to honor them for their involvement. They were in fact instrumental in this revolution. The new king and queen believe that without them distracting our old tyrant they would have been found and executed."

"Wow," Kuwabara said. "That's pretty cool."

"How far away are they?" Yusuke inquired.

"It's hard to say," Kurogame answered. "With your friend's speed, they could be practically anywhere, but it's likely they went to Calum. It's a three day's march from here."

"Three days!" Yusuke exclaimed. "We don't have three days."

The monarchs returned. "We can help with that, I believe," Uyeda said. "Kurogame. Get these men ready to go along with five of your most skilled combatants. Be ready to fly in an hour."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Botan slept fitfully her first night in Calum- in part because of the bitter cold, and in part because she had never fully come off of the adrenaline from the battle. '_You'd think that after so many years with the Tantei, battles wouldn't bother me. I watched the Dark Tournament for heaven's sake!_' she thought bitterly at one point.

The following day, she set about making a shelter from the cold. She found two sticks in the woods that suited her purpose and brought them to her camp. Using her sword, she was able to create a whole in the tree nearest the fire she had built and drill one of the sticks into it. She used the other stick, which was forked, to prop up end of first stick that wasn't in the tree. Over this apparatus she draped the larger of her blankets, and anchored it with rocks to keep it from flying away.

After several hours of work, Botan stood in front of her new home beaming. Sure, it wasn't fancy, but it was something, after all! She ate some of the food she'd been given, and then took Yuki down to the river.

That night, she was particularly glad for the little wind break she had as a blizzard rolled in. Conditions inside weren't great, but were tolerable. Outside, the fire was buried within an hour or so of the storm's beginning. Botan was able to coax Yuki inside, and was able to use the horse for extra warmth after convincing the mare to lie down. Botan fell asleep listening to the howl of the wind.

She awoke before dawn to find a fire going just outside the entrance to the tent, and a new smell within it. Yuki had not stirred, which she found rather odd. She squinted to see in the darkness of her makeshift tent, and noted as her mind began to work once more that the wind had died down. As her eyes moved to the trunk of the tree, she saw an outline that she recognized. _'Hiei,'_ she thought, and she smiled a little. It was hard to tell if he was awake or not, but she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

The next thing she new, there was movement in front of her. Her eyes opened, and she found it to be day. She sat up, and Yuki to the opportunity to remove herself from the tent. Hiei had indeed arrived during the night, and was currently sitting in front of the fire she assumed he had made. After several moments of silence, she spoke.

"Hi," she said, thinking of nothing else.

"Hn," he responded.

"Where did you go?" she asked after a few moments of listening to the fire crackle.

"To get some things," he said shortly. It was now that Botan noticed the other objects around camp that they had received from the old couple upon their arrival. She wasn't sure what this meant, but she was sure that it meant something. When she turned her eyes back to him, she found he was looking at her.

* * *

"Oh my god, Urameshi," Kuwabara said in a slightly frantic voice. "Is that thing what I think it is?"

Yusuke stood, open-mouthed, next to his friend, and nodded mutely for a moment before replying, "If you're thinking that's a dragon, I think you're exactly right."

Kurogame had brought the trio outside to something the soldiers referred to as the corrals, but these corrals weren't for horses. These corrals were for dragons. Kuwabara happened to be standing in front of the biggest beast, a female, standing 25 feet high and with blue and green scales.

"These lovely creatures are how we will be getting to Calum. They have a magnificent air speed, and can get us there within the day," Kurogame said. "I do not expect you to learn how to master one of them in the short amount of time that we have. Instead, you will each be riding with one of my officers." He turned to Kuwabara, who was beginning to panic as the dragon was sniffing him and starting to squawk. "It appears that she likes you. You will ride with her master, then," he said calmly.

Kuwabara looked as if he might swoon. "Likes me?" he asked, his voice quivering. "Are you sure that doesn't mean, likes me so much she won't eat me?"

Kurogame smiled. "Yes, I'm sure. The rest of the party is here now. Let's go."

* * *

They arrived in Calum near sunset, and they began canvassing the small town asking about Hiei and Botan, with little success. At this point, it had been ten days since the refugees first arrived, and what few leads there were in town were going cold.

After a few hours, they decided to try the refugee camp, since it was obvious from reports in the village that at least Botan had been here. People in the camp were wary of the soldiers after the battle, and most spoke tersely if at all.

Eventually, the Spirit Detectives caught a break in their case when they ran into two giggling teenage girls.

"You mean the cute little married couple?" one replied when told their descriptions. That surprised them, to say the least.

"Married couple?" Kurama inquired.

"Oh, yes," replied the other girl. "I think he must have been in the army or something, but I'm pretty sure it was one of those arranged marriages, you know? From the middle class, who think they can get somewhere that way."

"Yeah," her companion elaborated. "She's pretty nice, but he doesn't say much. Sure a cute couple though. I'm sure they'll have beautiful children. They live in a little clearing on the other side of that rise. I sure would like to know how she gets her hair that color…"

Kurogame thanked the women for their information, and they went on their way. Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama looked at each other, then at Kurogame.

"What. Did. You. Do. To. Them." Yusuke bit out.

"I assure you," Kurogame said smoothly, "that if they were married, it is news to me. They seemed tolerant of one another, but the lady never mentioned anything that would lead me to believe anything like that during our acquaintance."

"Let's go find them," Kurama suggested.

"Right," the others agreed, and they began to move briskly in direction the two women pointed them.

* * *

"Booooootaaaaan!" a voice yelled in the distance.

Botan looked up from what she was doing and listened, but decided when she heard nothing else that it was a trick of the imagination. Yuki pawed at the snow across the clearing, looking for grass to munch on, and Botan returned to her work. She could hear Hiei training some twenty yards away. If he was not concerned, she decided, she wouldn't be either.

But then a few moments later, she heard her name again. This time it was closer. Much closer, much clearer. Yuki's ears pricked and she looked up from the hole in the snow she'd made. Botan rose to her feet.

The sound came again, and Hiei's training sounds ceased. Now she could sense something. She called Yuki to her, and was ready to flee if she needed to. Tense moments passed.

Another voice called her, and she could hear Hiei coming towards her. Then a voice called again as Hiei arrived in the clearing, and she recognized it. She glanced at him, her eyes open wide and she called out, "Kurama?"

A figure emerged from the trees, and stood there, staring at Hiei and Botan, and they stared back. Botan ran to him. "Kurama!" she shouted again, and she hugged him fiercely. "What are you doing here?" she asked after they parted.

"Looking for you two. What else?" he replied as they walked back to join Hiei. Three other figures emerged from the woods- first Yusuke and Kuwabara, then Kurogame.

Kurogame walked up to Botan and bowed to her. "Milady, I am glad to see that you are safe."

She turned to face him then replied, "I'm glad to see you're safe too. Thank you so much for your help. I'm not sure what I would've done without you."

* * *

After they returned items they wouldn't use, per Botan's insistence, they flew back to the castle. Uyeda and Kea were waiting for them at the gates.

Kea spoke. "I know that we cannot convince you to stay, though we were prepared to offer you a fiefdom in reward for your service to us." The group was shocked, but she continued, "As it stands, I am aware that you two and your companions will be returning to your own time and place and I have no intentions of stopping you."

To Hiei she handed a dark ring, shaped like a Chinese style dragon with purple stones for eyes. She handed Botan another ring, this one a lighter dragon holding a marquee cut purple stone in its open mouth.

"May these tokens remind you of the time you spent with us. They will never be able to compensate you for the services you have given, but I hope they are enough."

"Thank you," Botan said quietly as she slipped the ring on her finger.

"No," the queen replied, "thank you." Kea looked at Yusuke. "I believe that your time with us grows short. May your journey home be a safe one."

He smiled, and the air around the group grew distorted, and then suddenly, they were gone.

* * *

Thank you, readers, for sticking with me for these last four years. They have not always been easy, but we have finally made it to the end.

If I get enough reviews demanding it, I can and will do an epilogue. Just tell me what you want to see. I may even do a sequel if you ask.

You guys are the absolute best. I look forward to future projects with you.

Sincerely,

~Sachie


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